Local News
October 2023: the French side lost its water supply for days after failures at the Galisbay plant
In late October 2023 the French side of St. Martin was left without tap water after power cuts, heavy swell and damp in electrical cabinets disrupted the Galisbay desalination plant. By 30 October production was back to two-thirds.
By SXM Daily ยท
Reported 30 October 2023.
The French side of St. Martin was left without tap water from the weekend of 28 October 2023, after a series of failures at the Galisbay drinking-water plant, according to statements from the water operator SAUR Saint-Martin carried by Faxinfo and Soualiga Post.
Photo: Richie Diesterheft from Chicago, IL, USA / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, illustrative
What went wrong
SAUR blamed power cuts caused by rain, poorer quality of the seawater pumped in because of heavy swell, and condensation in electrical cabinets. Soualiga Post, quoting SAUR, said the breakdowns at the plant began on the Thursday evening.
Gradual return
On Monday 30 October SAUR said production was back to two-thirds of normal. The Galisbay head tank was full enough to feed the Mont des Accords reservoir, which was brought back first because it serves the hospital and the Concordia care home. SAUR warned that supply would return very gradually and that homes furthest from the reservoirs would wait longest. A drinking-water point stayed open at the plant in Galisbay, and SAUR advised customers to let brown water run for a few minutes before using it.
At the time, SAUR and the water authority EEASM were already rehabilitating two of the plant's three reverse-osmosis lines, Faxinfo reported.
Sources
- https://www.faxinfo.fr/coupures-deau-la-production-a-repris-sur-deux-lignes/
- https://www.soualigapost.com/fr/actualite/45405/%C3%A9nergie-eau/saur-une-remise-en-eau-tr%C3%A8s-progressive
- https://www.faxinfo.fr/communique-eeasm-saur-travaux-a-lusine-de-production-deau-potable/
Source: https://www.faxinfo.fr/coupures-deau-la-production-a-repris-sur-deux-lignes/